MasterCard app will allow users to make payments with a selfie

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MasterCard is set to use selfies as a method for verifying payments in its mobile app. The company is experimenting with a new facial recognition technology to verify the identity, and authenticate the payment.

MasterCard chief product security officer Ajay Bhalla said that about 500 people took part in the trail, and it is aimed at the youth. The app will allow users to pay by blinking once as the app will prevent thieves from showing the app a picture of your face in an attempt to authenticate it. Bhalla added that the company is working with smartphone manufacturers to create a new biometric method, for reading the fingerprint.

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Ajay Bhalla, a security expert at MasterCard, introduced the new software during an interview with CNN. “When consumers shop on the Internet, their banks need ways to verify their identities,” said Bhalla. “So this particular product seamlessly integrates biometrics into the overall payment experience.”

The new move one of the many alternatives to PIN number, and to improve security. Users will be able to pay using a selfie method or fingerprint, and MasterCard even looks at voice and heartbeat recognition. Though Google used a similar facial recognition feature, a fraudster could bypass the system by showing the photo of the person in front of the camera.

MasterCard claims that the blinking feature will prevent this type of fraud. However, concerns remain over a thief ability to clone the user’s actions. Security researcher at Pen Test Partners Ken Munro stated said that what happens when the facial data gets stolen? You can’t change your face. MasterCard mentioned that the photos wont be directly sent o the company, in case users are concerned about privacy. But, it will be converted into a different format to verify payments.

Currently, MasterCard uses a SecureCode system to authenticate purchases while the new system aims to replace PIN and password systems. The new system is likely to be adopted by the younger generation as selfies are the current trend now.